…Says Massive Demolition Awaits Illegal Structures Along Airport Road
Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), made a strong appeal on Thursday to indigenous peoples to stop selling their birth rights to non-indigenes, claiming that after the ships are gone, non-indigenes will return to their various country homes.
“You must remember that you have growing families and must retain your legacy,” he said, adding, “it is not all the lands we give to you that you sell.”
The minister made the request while meeting with chiefs from seven communities along Lugbe-Airport Road to devise strategies to address the impending issues posed by land sales to non-indigenous people in the nation’s capital.
Comrade Ikharo Attah, the minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, spoke on behalf of the minister, saying: Bello has the interest of the indigenous people at heart and will not do anything to twat the peaceful co-existence of the people.
According to him, ” The families of indigenous people are growing and we must look for ways to accommodate them. A layout is under way to cater exclusively for this purpose.
“I appeal to you not to sell them when you get them. This is what is applicable and after selling, you begin to cry foul. This is not acceptable.
“We are coming to demolish all non indigenous building in your communities, it will be massive, why we are not touching yours is because is your anscentral home and since you have not been relocated we will not touch your buildings.
“The Minister has directed that we move in an remove all illegal structures within the nation’s capital. Non indigene houses will be removed without any compensation”, he said.
He, however, advise that ,when government give you allocation, please don’t sell, always remember your growing families and if you must sell tell them is farm lands so that when we demolish they will not fall back to you.
Meanwhile, the Acting Director, Department of Development Control , Tpl Garba Kwamkur said the meeting was at the instance of the Minister.
His words , ” The minister instructed that we moved in to write the structural wrongs in the communities.
He said they have already marked some of the illegal structures and those that has not been marked we will do that before the year runs to an end.
Kwamkur also stated that they will start demolishing in the first quarter of next year.
While adding that, they will not spare any illegal estates spring up in Lugbe.
One of the Chief’s who spoke with newsmen, Malam Yusuf Mugajji, Aguma of Sauka appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration that, if possible enforcement agencies should be left to secure the demolished community 24 hour after the exercise saying, after the demolition, hoodlums will take over and be looting the indigenous communities as soon as the task force have gone.
He added that, the indigenous communities are expanding so FCTA should demolition of some of the scoters
He also that FCTA should safe them from estate developers who are carrying fake papers clamping that the while land belongs to them.
